Fred’s RIB Blog – The first boat Blog devoted to rigid inflatable boats http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/ en Copyright 2011 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:19:45 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Hurricane Preparedness With the 2011 hurricane season underway, and a storm poised to threaten the east coast, I thought it would be helpful to post a link to tips on securing your RIB for a storm. If you have any additional questions after reading through, feel free to contact us and we'd be glad to provide any additional guidance that we can.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/08/hurricane_preparedness.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/08/hurricane_preparedness.html Maintenance Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:19:45 -0500 An Inflatable Solution We took a fully inflatable AF14 out for a sea trial today. At 13’9” it can be assembled by and easily launched by two people for search and rescue operations. This makes it a popular alternative to the RIB among first responders. The boat pictured below is being delivered to a police department in NJ who required a boat that they can easily deploy at a variety of location for rescue operations.


8-2-11 Sea Trial_7- web.JPG

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/08/an_inflatable_solution_1.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/08/an_inflatable_solution_1.html RIBCRAFT Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:17:53 -0500 New Title Laws Will Benefit Recreational Boaters This week a new set of laws called the Uniform Certificate of Title Act for Vessels were approved. Drafted by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), a 350-member group of appointed law commissioners, the act is aimed at helping protect consumers and will be valuable to insurers and lenders as well. In addition to the standard information currently included on a title, the act also created a model vessel brand that will be a permanent designation on a boat title that discloses damage to a boat, which will provide an additional level of protection for consumers. The act also would also help in facilitating financing and transfers of ownership.

The group is now forming committees that will serve to educate the boating community and enacting the new laws through the US.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/07/new_title_laws_will_benefit_re.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/07/new_title_laws_will_benefit_re.html RIB Industry Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:46:22 -0500 Coast Guard Debating New Safety Lanyard Regulations The Coast Guard is currently holding an open debate on whether changes need to be made to regulations requiring safety lanyards on certain recreational boats.

They are considering a mandate which would require an engine cutoff switch to be a standard safety feature on all boats under 26 feet and whether the operators of those vessels would be required to use cutoff the switches or “lanyards”.

It’s no secret that we as a company are huge proponent of safety lanyards and support a mandate by the Coast Guard to require them as a standard feature on all boats.

If you would like to give the USCG your feedback click here and submit your thoughts.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/06/coast_guard_debating_new_safet.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/06/coast_guard_debating_new_safet.html Safety Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:51:09 -0500 2011 National Safe Boating Week The time has been flying by! Culminating this weekend, National Safe Boating week began last Saturday and for the second year features the Ready Set Inflate Campaign. The National Safe Boating Council, Canadian Safe Boating Council, and Coast Guard Auxiliary are inviting everyone to participate their local event which will provide education on lifejackets and the comfort of the inflatable version. The events will teach boaters how to inspect, re-arm and re-pack their inflatable lifejackets. Click here to find an event in your area.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/05/2011_national_safe_boating_wee.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/05/2011_national_safe_boating_wee.html Safety Thu, 26 May 2011 14:56:35 -0500 Top Ten Boat Names of 2011 Recreational boat owners along with many commercial outfits love to name their boats. The site www.firstboat.com just released a list of the Top 10 Boat Names for 2011. Is your RIB's name on the list?

1. Serenity (In addition to “Serenity” there were variations such as “Serenity Now!”, as well as clever misspellings including “Sea-Renity”)

2. Happy Ours (Time was a common theme in boat names this year. Variations on this boat name included “Happy Hours” and “Happy Hour”)

3. Feelin' Nauti

4. Family Time (Another variation of the Time theme. There were many other boat names that referenced Time that came close to the top ten.)

5. Liberty (There were also variations such as Miss Liberty, Lady Liberty, and Liberty Belle)

6. Black Pearl

7. Andiamo (Let’s Go! A quick internet search will show you that this is not only a popular name for boats, but also for Italian restaurants in America)

8. Knot On Call (Several boat names used the word “Knot” cleverly, but only this one made the top ten)

9. High Maintenance

10. Just Chillin

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/04/top_ten_boat_names_of_2011.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/04/top_ten_boat_names_of_2011.html RIB Industry Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:14:24 -0500 Fueling Safety The Coast Guard recently released this list of tips for safely fueling your boat. These are good reminders for everyone to keep in mind as the boating season is beginning in many areas.

• Frequently check fuel lines and connections for leaks and worn spots.
• Be sure all electrical devices are turned off, as well as the engine.
• When gasoline passes through the hose, it generates static electricity. If that ‘sparks’ with the fumes at the fuel tank fill point, an explosion can occur. To dissipate the static electricity, keep the metal nozzle of the hose in contact with the metal part of the refueling opening.
• Try not to spill any fuel during the process.
• When fueling is complete, securely fasten the gas cap.
• If you have inboard or inboard/outboard engines run the bilge blower. Run the fan for at least five minutes. (It’s a good idea to run this blower before ANY engine start, since even a small leak can produce lots of fumes.)
• NO SMOKING

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/03/fueling_safety_1.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/03/fueling_safety_1.html Safety Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:22:56 -0500 A “Must” for Yachties For all of you who remember (or perhaps were an avid fan of) the Official Preppy Handbook, published in 1980, a new version of this classic was recently published. A friend brought True Prep to my attention because of the section entitled “Why Sailing”. Listed as the #1 “’must’ for any respectable yachtie” is owning center console RIB as a tender. Anyone who is a part of the sailing community would most likely nod their head in agreement with out giving it a second thought, however it was great to see that the author not only agreed, but ranked it number one on the list. In case you are curious, other “musts” that made the list were yachting pillows, Helly Hanson “foulies”, a folding bicycle, and towels with the boat’s name.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/02/a_must_for_yachties.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/02/a_must_for_yachties.html RIB Industry Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:42:41 -0500 No Trailer Needed A friend recently sent along this picture that he took of a 4.8 while at a regatta this past summer. Believe it or not we have seen several sailing programs transport their 4.8's this way. By loading the support boat onto the truck, it allows the team to trailer their fleet of Opti’s or Laser’s behind the truck at the same time. A RIB, naturally being lighter than a hard sided boat, makes this option possible and at 15'7" the 4.8 is the ideal size.

Ribcraft1 (4).jpg

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/02/no_trailer_needed_1.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/02/no_trailer_needed_1.html RIBCRAFT Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:08:18 -0500 Seasonal Boating? Not at RIBCRAFT! Here in Massachusetts we have gotten storm after storm almost on a weekly basis since the end of December. So what is the cure for the winter blues? Going boating of course! We build and ship RIBs year round, which means we sea trial them year round as well. This week was no exception, so while it was 19 degrees out we put on our thermals and all of the foul weather gear we could find and headed to the launch ramp. The boat that we were testing performed great and topped out at just over 30 knots! Even though a temperature of 19 degrees while going 30 knots makes for a BITING wind chill, there is still nothing quite like time on the water.

Here is a photo that was taken from the boat looking out at the harbor and the snow covered lawns in the distance.

1-31-11_8.JPG

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/02/seasonal_boating_not_here.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2011/02/seasonal_boating_not_here.html RIBCRAFT Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:43:56 -0500 Mandatory Lifejackets for All? According to an article that I recently read the National Recreational Safe Boating commission met this week and one of their main focuses was a test program run by the Army Corps of Engineers which has mandated wearing jackets on many of the corps lakes. Corps spokesperson, Lynda Nutt, said that she was pleased with the results of the program in 2010 and wants to expand the program in 2011. The Corps reported that they implemented this through educating the surrounding communities and it was well received. Additionally they reported that lake use was up. However many boating advocacy groups strongly disagree and continue to push back in proposed test areas such as Iowa, Ohio and California. The most stringent program yet was proposed for a lake near Fresno, CA which mandates that all boaters, regardless of the size of the vessel, along with those swimming more than 100 yards offshore, must wear a lifejacket. Reportedly the response and reaction of the community will be closely monitored. This program and the impending new laws will be closely monitored by many groups. Click here for more information from the Army Corps.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/12/mandatory_lifejackets_for_all_1.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/12/mandatory_lifejackets_for_all_1.html Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:44:21 -0500 Boat of the Month! Marine News hailed the 9.0, recently built for the City of Boston Fire Department, their November Boat of the Month! Check out the full page article:

Download file

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/12/boat_of_the_month.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/12/boat_of_the_month.html Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:36:40 -0500 RIBCRAFT 9.0 in Action If you checked out our News/Events section recently then you may have noticed that we just delivered a 9.0 to the City of Boston Fire Department. Well, no sooner did they finish the dedication ceremony and unveiling of the boat did it get called into action. Here is a link to an article by the Boston Herald.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/10/post_2.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/10/post_2.html Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:38:05 -0500 Winterizing Your RIB Many of our customers up north are now begining to winterize their boats. Here is a link to a few postings that I wrote in the past on winterizing including steps on how to winterize the engine and tube.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/10/winterizing_your_rib_1.html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/10/winterizing_your_rib_1.html Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:09:17 -0500 RIBCRAFT Fall Newsletter The fall edition of the RIBCRAFT newsletter is being sent out now. The newsletter is a great way to stay up to date on all of our exciting projects and happenings. Join our mailing list and receive your copy by emailing info@ribcraftusa.com.

]]> http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/10/ribcraft_fall_newsletter .html http://www.ribcraftusa.com/blog/2010/10/ribcraft_fall_newsletter .html Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:50:52 -0500